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Bully: Scholarship Edition
Jimmy Hopkins is a boy with some serious problems. Barely 15 years old and already expelled from most schools he finds himself enrolled in Bullworth Academy by his mother and latest stepfather as they go off on honeymoon. Notorious for its history of bullying the school is run by various groups and cliques so as the new kid on the block Jimmy is immediately a big target. No stranger to trouble Jimmy soon starts putting people in their place and builds up respect until he is in a position to put an end to all they bullying. Not everyone relishes the thought of a conflict free school so Jimmy has his work cut out for him.
Notorious for their Grand Theft Auto games, Rockstar has faced controversy from the start with this game. Just the name alone was enough to send certain groups into frenzy and thus it was changed to “Canis Canim Edit” in some territories. Instead of being a bully the game is more about standing up to the bullies and helping those that are being victimized but claiming it is a “bullying-simulator” that “encourages violence in schools” sells more newspapers and thus Bully got a lot of undeserved bad press. It’s a pity really as this game is as fun as any title in the Grand Theft Auto series and achieves it without any blood or swearing. Bully made a name for itself on console but its road to computer was a rocky one. Promising some enhancements and extended features this “Scholarship Edition” was practically unplayable upon first release thanks to the amount of crippling bugs it contained. Subsequent patches sorted everything out but by then this games credibility has taken a serious hit. It’s a shame as the fully patched version I played comes close to greatness and was a fun not to mention engrossing experience from start to finish. Structured around life at a boarding school, each day in Bully is divided into mornings, afternoons and evenings. You have certain school rules you have to follow and classes like math, biology, art, chemistry and geography to attend. The classes take the form of fun little mini-games (if only school was really like this) that yield some cool rewards and bonuses upon successful completion. Your real quest will take place in your spare time (or while cutting classes if you prefer) and has a lot in common with Grand Theft Auto believe it or not. Instead of killing people and committing crimes your missions in Bully is a bit more mundane but no less fun. From beating some preppies in a boxing match, storming the nerd’s clubhouse and sabotaging the jocks football match to busting a corrupt teacher there is always something to do. There are also tons of side missions and even jobs that can be done for cash. Bully might be smaller in scope than the GTA titles but it packs a lot more into its environments. Speaking of environments, Bully is a good looking game but by no means groundbreaking. The console graphics benefit greatly from the increased resolution the computer can deliver but it can’t hide all the shortcomings. It’s the little details that make this game stand out however. The way seasons change and with it the clothes people wear. The background animations that bring the gameworld to life and further immerses the player. I can’t fault this title on presentation and it’s sure to make a memorable impact on anyone that plays and completes it. The game can be a bit daunting initially with so much to see and do and seemingly so little time before curfew hits. After unlocking a few more save spots, learning some neat fighting techniques and discovering all the short-cuts the game really opens up and becomes addictive beyond belief. While not overly challenging the game has one or two tricky missions but win or lose you will always be playing with a smile on your face because of the onscreen antics. Who knows a few of the pranks might even remind you of your own misspent youth. The audio is nicely done although some of the background effects can become a bit repetitive. I think they have done a good job with the voice-overs and everyone delivers their lines convincingly. The music is also of good quality and while most tunes are instantly forgettable there are some memorable ones. As always for these console ports a gamepad comes highly recommended. To list all of the cool activities you can get up to in this game would fill up a review by itself but suffice to say this is another Rockstar classic and well worth tracking down and playing. Just don’t forget to install all the patches! |
System Requirements
TAGS: Bully, Canis Canim Edit, Jimmy Hopkins, Rockstar, Bullworth
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